If you’re looking to improve your improve your sleep, mood, and stress levels, the answer could be this simple: a weighted blanket. Known to not only help to improve feelings of stress and anxiety (keep scrolling for all the details), weighted blankets are also the science-backed solution to poor sleep.
Gravity, a brand who know all the benefits of using a weighted blanket very well, have arrived at BEAUTY BAY with their innovative bedtime must-have, and we’re already sold. With a plush outer duvet cover and an inner blanket weighted with fine-grade glass beads, Gravity’s weighted blankets are the night-time hug we’ve all been waiting for. And they have plenty of benefits beyond that hygge feeling.
Keep scrolling to find out six benefits of using a weighted blanket.
REDUCES STRESS AND ANXIETY
One of the main benefits of a weighted blanket is its ability to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. The calming feeling of being ‘hugged’ by the blanket can help to increase serotonin (the happiness hormone) and melatonin (the sleep hormone) to help you drift off to sleep happily and naturally. Studies have shown that the deep touch pressure stimulation from a weighted blanket can have a soothing effect on the body and the mind which can help to prevent restlessness and aid with sleep.
BOOSTS OXYTOCIN AND MELATONIN
The pressure from a weighted blanket creates warmth and feelings of security, which feels like a cosy hug. Research has shown that a hug releases the oxytocin hormone in the body which is known to help you feel relaxed and at ease and is even thought to slow the heart and reduce blood pressure which can improve sleep quality. The genius blanket can also stimulate melatonin, the hormones responsible for sleep, which can result in a better sleep in the short term and a more regulated sleep cycle in the long term.
RELEASES DOPAMINE AND SEROTONIN
We’re sticking with the hormone chat for a little longer because weighted blankets can also help to release two mood-boosting chemicals which can help to reduce stress and ease feelings of sadness. A weighted blanket creates a gentle but deep pressure that reaches within the body. This kind of pressure has been shown to release two brain chemicals, dopamine and serotonin, both of which can help tackle feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression.
REDUCES CORTISOL
Cortisol is the stress hormone that the body creates when we’re feeling the effects of a bad day and can have some pretty negative effects on the body. Cortisol can have damaging effects on blood sugar levels, digestion, and immunity, which can lead to poor health if experienced over prolonged periods of time. A weighted blanked has a grounding effect on the body which can promote feelings of calm, which in turn will prevent cortisol being released by the brain.
EASES INSOMNIA
Research into weighted blankets has shown that can help with various patterns of insomnia. Trouble falling asleep and staying asleep are common symptoms of insomnia, but a weighted blanket could be able to help ease these symptoms. It is thought that the weight of the blanket can create a ‘light touch sensation’ which can help to release brain chemicals and hormones that can soothe the nervous system and reduce arousal, both of which can help to ease insomnia.
IMPROVES SLEEP QUALITY
There is huge difference between how much sleep you get and the quality of the sleep you get. If you’re sleeping for a hearty eight hours but it is a disturbed sleep, you’re not going to feel the benefits. To feel sprightly every morning, you need your sleep to be restorative. A weighted blanket can help to improve the quality of sleep thanks to its deep touch pressure that stimulates serotonin, the sleep hormone that can help you fall asleep, stay asleep, and leave you feeling rested come that 7am alarm.
